Quiz: Howstuffworks

Australian Geography Quiz

Ashley Palkovics

Image: seng chye teo / Moment / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Australia is one of the most beautiful places to live and travel. Located on its own continent with no borders, this fantastic piece of biodiversity has so much to offer the world. Scientists have discovered hundreds of thousands of different species here, most of which are only native to Australia. Some of these include the Kangaroo, the Tasmanian Devil, and the most venomous species ever discovered by mankind. Notably, there are 750 different types of reptiles known to inhabit this continent. This is due in part to the incredible diversity of environments that you can find here. Many have heard of "The Outback," which is the name for the large desert that takes up the center of Australia. It is generally uninhabited due to its extreme weather conditions. Seventy percent of Australians are reported to live on the coast, which is why swimming is the most popular sport here for Aussies.

Australia has a plethora of things to do, places to see, and facts to know. You can find rainforests, mountainsides, and coastal beauties. Think you're ready to expand your knowledge on this oceanic wonder of the world? Put your thinking cap on, and get ready to learn all about being Down Under.

What geographic region is Australia located in?

Asia

Africa

The Caribbean

Oceania

The region of Oceania consists of Australia, Papa New Guinea, New Zealand and other small islands. This territory covers an area of 3,291,903 square miles and is located in both the Eastern & Southern Hemispheres.

Which two oceans surround the continent?

Atlantic & Pacific

Eastern & Pacific

Pacific & Indian

Arctic & Atlantic

The California coast may look out to one side of the Pacific, but Australia connects to the other half. On the other side of the continent, the Indian Ocean is looked on by two billion people between India, Australia, and part of Africa.

Australia is almost the size of what other country?

Japan

The United States

Russia

Mexico

Australia may not be the largest country, but it is the largest island! It also technically only makes up 5% of the world's land mass, despite it's size of 2.97 million miles. Crikey!

What is the name of the capital city?

Canberra

Adelaide

Brisbane

Sydney

Canberra is about three hours southwest of Sydney. Despite it being the capital, there are only about 452,000 people living there, comparative to the over 4 million people residing in Sydney.

The following are all states within Australia except...

Northern Territory

Queensland

British Columbia

New South Wales

British Columbia isn't a state but a province located in western Canada. It borders Washington State and is known for its beautiful mountain ranges as well as Pacific Coast beaches. It's also a lot colder than any state in Australia.

Which hemisphere is Australia located in?

Northern Hemisphere

Southern Hemisphere

Eastern Hemisphere

Western Hemisphere

The Southern Hemisphere is south of the equator. Summertime for Australia is from December to March. Winter is from June to September. It's safe to say, they don't often get a White Christmas.

What is the top grossing food source farmed in Australia?

Wheat

Fruits & Nuts

Wool

Cattle

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 40 million people around the world are fed by Australia. Sixty percent of products farmed here are then exported to other countries, and the cattle industry brings in about $7.7 billion. That's a lot of hamburgers.

Australia is the ___ largest country in the world.

Sixth

Second

Tenth

Third

The largest country in the world is Russia at 17.1 million square kilometers, followed by Canada, The United States, China, Brazil, and finally Australia. Right behind them is their neighbors who share an ocean, India!

The following animals are all native only to Australia except...

The sugar glider

The platypus

The kangaroo

The shiba inu

Shiba Inu actually translates to "brushwood dog" in Japanese! It's a small-medium hunting breed, but as more domesticated pets they're incredibly friendly and affectionate. However, they are one of the most difficult dog breeds to train.

Which of the following facts about the Great Barrier Reef is NOT true?

You can see it from space.

It has survived due to its natural ability to handle warm water temperatures.

It is the world's largest living structure.

You can find it off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

Due to the warming of the oceans, the Great Barrier Reef suffers from terrible amounts of stress via coral bleaching. Two million people visit this structure every year, but it is in incredible danger due to climate change.

What percentage of the continent is land?

30%

75%

99%

82%

Due to the incredible heat in Australia and it's lack of rainfall, 99% of the continent is dry land. Any bodies of water are often dried up, which is why most inhabitants tend to live on the coast.

How many National Parks are in Australia?

58

516

135

368

While the United States may be bigger, it only has 58 National Parks compared to Australia's 516! The most popular is Kakadu National Park in Northern Australia. When visiting, you can find an array of different animals as well as aboriginal art.

Australia is home to...

The largest surfing community

The largest amount of venomous animals

The largest television studio

The largest chocolate factory

Australia is known for its incredible number of venomous animals. There are 20 different kinds of venomous snakes, 36 different kinds of venomous spiders and plenty of other scary critters.

The original inhabitants of the continent are called...

Native Americans

Indians

Aussies

Aboriginies

The continent of Australia was uninhabited until about 50,000 years ago. It is theorized that when sea levels were lower, land bridges connected Asia to the land mass, which the aboriginals used to cross over. Aborigines still live in Australia to this day!

The discovery of ____ led to massive immigration into Australia in 1851.

Gold

Rainforests

Cotton

Bloomin' onions

Australia had its own gold rush, much like the United States. It brought about an influx of immigrants, which later established the Federation of Australia. To this day, Australia is the 4th largest exporter of gold in the world.

Which is the most popular sport in Australia?

Netball

Basketball

Swimming

Soccer

Over 3 million residents actively participate in swimming or swim sports. In popularity, it is followed by cycling, soccer, and dancing. The variety of environments in Australia give residents ample options for whatever sport they fancy, contributing to their above-average quality of life.

How many time zones are there in Australia?

One

Seven

Three

Five

Unusually, most of Australia's time zones are separated by half-hour increments, so when it's 9:30 pm in the Central Time Zone, it's 10 pm in the Eastern Time Zone.

Australia is the second driest continent in the world, behind...

Antarctica

Africa

Asia

North America

Due to its lack of precipitation, Antarctica is considered a desert, even though it's covered in a permanent ice sheet that contains 90% of the Earth's fresh water.

What percentage of Australia is considered a desert?

20%

50%

76%

90%

Technically, the 10 true deserts in Australia truly only encompass 20% of the continent. The other 70% of the continent most people would think of as desert is classified as either "semi-arid" or "arid."

The following are all deserts in Australia except...

The Tanami Desert

The Strzelecki Desert

The Sturt Stony Desert

The Gobi Desert

China & Mongolia host the mountainous Gobi Desert, which is known for its incredible wildlife such as camels and snow leopards!

What holiday is this Australian island named after?

Christmas

Thanksgiving

Easter

Halloween

Christmas Island is located in the Indian Ocean and boasts some amazing sights. It is south of Indonesia and most of the land is part of a national park.

Where are the two places that the Summer Olympics was hosted in this country?

Sydney & Melbourne

Sydney & Canberra

Brisbane & Canberra

Perth & Adelaide

With 4 million people living in Sydney, we can see why the Summer Olympics were chosen to be hosted there. The first games were held in 1956 in Melbourne, and again in 2000 in Sydney.

This Australian island is named after which animal?

Koala

Kangaroo

Python

Hawk

Kangaroo Island has, well, lots of Kangaroos! It's an incredible tourist attraction and is located off the coast of Melbourne. You can also find sea lions and penguins on different parts of this island.

The largest fence in the world, located in Australia, is called...

The Great Wall

The Bogan Fence

The Great Fence

The Dingo Fence

Dingoes are another name for wild dogs, which is what the Dingo Fence is designed to keep out. It was completed in 1885 and is estimated to be so large that it would take six months to walk around it.

How many beaches are there on this continent?

One big one

5,403

804

10,685

The stunning beaches of Australia occupy over half of its coastline and entertain millions of residents. The most beautiful is Whitehaven Beach, which is over 7 kilometers long and features unusually vivid blue water and soft white sand.

This endangered animal, originally native only to Australia, inspired which character from Looney Tunes?

Bugs Bunny

Pepe Le Pew

Foghorn Leghorn

Tasmanian Devil

The Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil was based on the original marsupial of the same name. They're actually considered very quiet and timid but have unfortunately become an endangered species. Now, you can only find them on the small island of Tasmania.

There are over a million of these feral animals roaming the Outback...

Camels

Cats

Koalas

Sheep

Australia is home to the world's largest herd of feral camels. This began when there was a massive influx of camel imports in the 19th century. They came from the Arabian Peninsula, India, and Afghanistan for work in the Outback.

Which country is the closest to the Australian continent?

Timor Leste

Papua New Guinea

New Zealand

Antarctica

Two-hundred kilometers north of Australia, you can find the country of Papa New Guinea. Australia may not have an active volcano, but this country sure does. You can also find rainforests, mountains and tons of biodiversity.

What is the highest peak in Australia?

Mt, Twynam

Mt. Kosciuszko

Mt. Townsend

Mt. Ossa

If you head to the beautiful mountains of Southeast Australia, you'll find Mt. Kosciuszko! It is situated 7,310 ft above sea level, and the closest major city to it would be the capital of Canberra.

The world's longest ___ is located in Australia.

Golf course

Carpet

Highway

Pool table

Nullarbor Links, located on the southern coast of Australia, is considered to be the longest golf course in the world. Its 18 holes stretch out over 848 miles. Golf carts aren't an option. Golfers need a car, as some of the holes are 120 miles apart!

There are more of these than there are people inhabiting the Australian continent.

Crocodiles

Kangaroos

Sheep

Koalas

In Australia, there are eight sheep for every person (which explains why wool is one of the country's major exports). There are reportedly over 150 million sheep living Down Under.

The continent of Australia does not have what?

Snowy mountains

An active volcano

A beach

Rainforests

While there are dormant volcanoes in Australia, they haven't erupted for millions of years. The closest active volcanoes owned by the country of Australia are on the Heard Island and McDonald Islands, which are island territories in the Indian Ocean. The most recent eruption was from Heard Island's Big Ben in 2019.

In which Australian state is the Great Barrier Reef located?

New South Wales

Victoria

Western Australia

Queensland

Queensland hosts many things, including the world's oldest discovered rainforest. The city of Cairns is considered the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.

What is Uluru?

An insulting phrase

A river in Western Australia

An iceberg

A sandstone mountain

If you head into the Northern Territory of Australia, you may find an incredible red sandstone mountain, 350 meters tall. That would be Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock. This beautiful piece of nature is considered sacred to certain aboriginal communities.

What percentage of land in Australia is suitable for farming?

6%

20%

50%

69%

Despite Australia being one of the leading agricultural producers and employers in the world, only a small portion of the land is viable for farming purposes, forcing farmers to be incredibly innovative.

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